And Roxas Pulled The Trigger
by KuroRiya
Summary: Let's see... Angsty as usual. Boy on boy, yaoi, slash, whatever you want to call it. Sex, Drugs, Withdrawals, death, blood, angst, lot's of profanity. Axel is a drug addict, sent to live with Roxas and Cloud to recover... Let's see how that one unfolds!
1. Chapter 1

" I believe in you,Axel."

The last words of the only person I have ever truly loved. I hate to tell a story such as this, but it is a story that needs to be told. I must warn you, this story of mine doesn't have a happy ending. Far from it. However, I implore you to listen. Listen to my story about drugs, hate, hope, sex, ice-cream, blood, blonde hair, passion, vengeance, and death. Listen to my story that is, above all else, about love.

-.-.-.-.-.~+~.-.-.-.-.-

"Axel, let's get the hell out of here! The fucking cops are here!" The red-head looked up, bloodstains clearly visible on his face.

"Shit!" He released the collar of the shirt that he had been gripping whilst repeatedly punching some nameless punk, and wiped at his face. Somehow the cops always came before he could finish beating the life out of people. He glared at the bloody and halfway unconscious teenager at his feet, and kicked him in the stomach for good measure. Before he began to trail behind his companion, he witnessed the boy curl into the fetal position and cough up red blood. This pleased Axel. It meant he had done some real damage.

"Axel! Hurry up!" Axel snapped back to reality, and his current situation. He knew he couldn't get caught again. He had nearly been thrown into juvie the last time, but had gotten off with a warning from the judge. This was his last chance. Axel picked up the pace a bit, and tried to catch up with the familiar figure he was following.

"S-Saix, wait a sec!" If he was heard, he was ignored, for Saix didn't stop. He didn't even do so much as to slow down. Though this usually wouldn't have mattered to the seemingly heartless Axel, the fact that his best friend was ditching him hurt a little. Yes, even Axel had enough of a heart to be hurt. Axel watched with disdain as Saix disappeared into a rather ominous looking alleyway. At the precise moment that Axel lost sight of Saix, his vision was flooded with incredibly bright white light. For a split-second, he feared that he had been blinded, however, that fear was quickly replaced with a more troublesome reality. To put it simply, Axel had been caught.

Sighing, Axel threw his hands up in surrender. He knew the routine, and didn't need to be told. He braced himself for the next part to come. He was practically tackled into a wall, and his wrists were held against the cold, rust colored brick. Another cop promptly came and patted every inch of Axel's body. Axel silently mused to himself about how he could sue for sexual harassment. Though he had no weapons on him, Axel knew he was still in trouble. Sooner or later they would find the Angel Dust he had shoved in his pockets. Axel decided to make the process go a little faster.

"Check the breast pocket of my coat, and the left back pocket of my pants." The policemen that had been searching paused a moment, and looked at each other incredulously, apparently not used to being told where druggies hid their illegal substances. They reached around and pulled the bags out of both pockets. They then checked the rest of the pockets, just in case. They took his small red cellphone and his wallet. Finding nothing else incriminating, Axel's arms were yanked down harshly to be cuffed. He hissed in pain, feeling a twist in his shoulder, but the cops obviously didn't give a rat's ass, as they shoved him into the back of the police car just as roughly as they had cuffed him.

-.-.-.-.-.~+~.-.-.-.-.-

To say the very least, Axel was pissed. Here he was, sitting in a holding cell, tired, cranky, and going into withdrawal. He wished he had hidden some extra Dust, cause he needed it bad. His body was twitching all over, and it made him miserable. He hadn't had any Dust in a week. His body could handle a few days of being clean, because he had trained it to do so, but he was now crashing hard. On top of that, he had only been fed stale Cheetos, and told to drink from the small sink in the cell. That wasn't happening. Plus Axel would swear that every cop in the prescient had come to tease him at some point, and he had to go to the bathroom like crazy. But honestly, all of this would have been bearable, had Saix been sitting next to him. But no, he was probably at home, lighting up some Dust, and watching some crappy HBO movie, completely unaware of the hell Axel was being put through. Axel had never felt as betrayed as he did right then.

"So crack-head, how you doin' in there?" Axel had to strongly fight the urge to go rip the cop's face off.

"First off, the technical term for it is Angel Dust. Second, How the fuck do I look like like I'm doing? And third, if you want to keep your face, I highly suggest you get the fuck away from me." The cop was obviously taken aback by Axel's foul mouth, as he literally backed away a little. But he eventually remembered his position as the one not in the cage, and stepped forward again.

"Oh, is that right. Well now, it seems that you might have a bit of trouble carrying that threat out, considering where you are." The cop gave a smug smile, as if challenging Axel. The smile didn't last long though. Before the cop could discern what was happening, Axel's fingernails were digging into his face, and tearing at the skin.

He screamed out in pain as Axel pulled back, then lunged again, digging his fingernails as deep into the flesh as he could. He got in another good round of scratches before two guards pulled the mutilated Cop away. Axel grinned proudly at the sight. The man had scratches that stretched from his brow to his chin, and blood was trickling steadily from each. He was muttering incoherently, and all that Axel picked up was, "Fucking Monster..." He found great pleasure in the fact that he had terrified the sanity out of a grown man. A cop at that! The guards disappeared around the corner, dragging the bleeding idiot with them. Axel watched, then sat and waited, knowing full well that his violent outburst wouldn't go unnoticed. While waiting he carefully removed the man's skin from underneath his fingernails. He didn't have to wait long, because two minutes later, a more mature looking cop with unruly blonde hair came around the corner. He came to the little cell containing Axel, but kept a good distance from it, obviously not wanting to meet the same fate as his colleague.

"Axel, I presume." Axel rolled his eyes. As if he didn't know.

"Who the hell else are you expecting? Jesus?" The Cop looked a bit amused at that.

"No. Now, Axel, you realize that you're already in quite a bit of trouble, correct?"

"Well no fucking shit Sherlock." The cop forced himself to contain his growing rage at the teen.

"Then why, I must ask, would you make it even worse on yourself?" Axel growled.

"Look, He wouldn't leave me the fuck alone! I warned him, and he decided to ignore me. It's not my fucking fault that he can't take a goddamn hint." The cop sighed.

"I can understand your irritation, however, what you did was over the top."

"Fuck you."

"... You do know that you're going to Juvie, right?" Axel, though he had known this in his heart, hadn't felt the full impact until he heard them spoken by the cop.

"... I know." He let it sink in. Axel was notorious for not giving a shit, however, this was just a facade. If he was being honest with himself, the thought alone scared the living hell out of him. He didn't want to go. Axel subconsciously pulled his knees into his chest and wrapped his arms around himself. No one had ever seen Axel like this before, but he couldn't hide his fear at the moment. It didn't matter that the cop could see him in the rare moment of vulnerability. However, contrary to what Axel had assumed would happen, the Blonde cop seemed to sympathize with him.

"Axel... Look, you can talk to me about it... I"

"Go the fuck away." Then man hesitated, and Axel's temper flared. "I said Fuck off! I don't need your Goddamn sympathy" The man finally gave in, and walked around the corner, leaving Axel to contemplate what was inevitably going to happen to him.

-.-.-.-.-.~+~.-.-.-.-.-

"Very well." The judged stood. "The defendant is hereby charged of drug possession, public dispute, and physical assault of a pedestrian and an officer. This is his fifth offense."

Axel groaned, wishing they would just get it over with. He had plead guilty after all. But of course his stupid fuck of an appointed lawyer had to point out that he was under the influence of strong drugs at the time. Axel supposed that he should be grateful to him, considering that the suggested sentence had been lowered. However, Axel had gone nearly two week without any dust, and he was absolutely miserable, not to mention that his lawyer didn't actually give a damn in hell what happened to him. He was only there because the state paid him to be. Axel felt like he would drop dead at any given moment.

"Therefore, I have decided to sentence him to two years in the juvenile facilities, then a consecutive three in a federal pri..."

"Wait!" Every head in the room turned at the random command. Axel was sure that he wasn't the only one surprised to see a tiny blonde boy standing boldly in the middle of the courtroom. Axel couldn't place it, but he looked somewhat familiar. The boy bravely started walking forward, towards the judge. He got about halfway there before a familiar face came behind him and grabbed his arm.

_That's where I've seen him! He looks like that cop!_

"Roxas, sit down!" The little blonde looked back at taller one defiantly.

"No! Let me talk!" The cop attempted to pull the blonde back to his seat, but he was too quick, and got away easily enough. Once free, he ran to the judge's stand and looked the judge right in the eye.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the cop was quick on his tail, and grabbed him yet again, this time around the waist.

"I'm so sorry about this! He promised he'd be good if I brought him! It won't happen again." The little blonde was struggling for all he was worth, kicking and flailing as hard as he could, desperately attempting to regain his freedom. The judge seemed overwhelmed by the unrealistic amount of energy suddenly thrust into his courtroom.

"N-Not at all. But it seems he has something he'd like to say. Why don't you let him speak, Cloud. It couldn't hurt." Cloud seemed to be in a state of disbelief that the judge had taken Roxas' side. Roxas stopped struggling, and waited patiently to be let down. Cloud reluctantly released him, and he straightened out his clothes before speaking.

"Okay. So, you said that he gets in a lot of trouble, right?" Axel watched as the blonde gestured at him. The judge nodded at him. "And you've punished him before, right?" Again the judge nodded. "But that obviously didn't work. So, maybe instead of punishing him, you should try to help him!" Axel nearly chuckled at the idiocy of this kid. He obviously had no inclination as to how the courts worked. Things simply weren't that... Simple.

"Oh, and what do you suggest I do?" Axel was incredulous. The judge was actually considering it! The blonde smiled, proud of himself.

"You should send him home with me!" The entire courtroom looked at the blonde in disbelief.

"Um, I don't think that's quite... Appropriate..."

"Why not?" Roxas challenged. "Cloud's an officer, so he'll keep him out of trouble! And you said earlier on in the trial that he lived alone, so maybe having a family will be good for him!" The judge thought about this. Cloud, however, didn't seem to want to so much as consider it.

"W-Wait! Roxas, you can't just go deciding all this for yourself! Maybe I don't want him in my house!" Roxas turned and glared at the bigger blonde.

"You don't want to try and help him? You'd rather he go rot behind bars for five years? I mean, he's bad now, but at least he still alive! He still has something to offer the world! If you send him off to prison, he's gonna lose that!" His little speech seemed to hit a chord with the entire courtroom, and many a glare was directed at Cloud. After a moment of harsh silence, He finally cracked under the pressure.

"Oh, fine! Whatever! Man, you always do this." He folded his arms across his chest in what seemed to be a pout. Roxas smiled, and turned back to the judge, looking at him expectantly. The man seemed to think it over quite deeply before finally answering.

"... Very well. He will stay with you until he comes of age." Roxas' face lit up. "However, I have a few rules. First off, he gets three strikes. If he violates all three, he will be sent off immediately. Second, he is to steadily attend school. Third, he needs to stop his drug habit." At this point, Axel couldn't help himself. He stood up abruptly.

"Um, yeah, excuse me for reigning on your fucking parade, but don't I get a say in this? What if I don't want to go with them? What if..." Roxas cut him off, walking up to him.

"So you'd rather go to jail? Really? Because it seems to me like you're awfully afraid to. I think you just want us all to think you're super tough. So, I think you should sit down and shut up before you actually do get sent off." Axel looked at the blonde, who was at least two heads shorter than him, and was dumbfounded. How on earth had this five year old pegged him so well? And where did he get off talking to Axel like that? Still, he was right. Despite how much it injured his pride, Axel sat back down and pouted while his fate was sorted out.

~.~.~.~.=+=.~.~.~.~

A/N: Wow, Axel has a foul mouth! I don't think I've heard the word fuck come out of someone's mouth so many times since Agito! Anywho, Thanks for reading! I really like this one so far. Don't ask me why, because I don't know. But I am trying something new with this. See, I usually get an idea, and then just start writing. But this time I actually took the time to jot down an overview of the entire plot, as well as a few details. So far, it's been a lot smoother! I actually know what to write next, so it's pretty nice. Okay, now for some explanations! Cloud is the cop that came and talked with Axel after he mutilated that poor guy's face. Roxas is Cloud's little brother, and they live together. And no, Roxas isn't actually five. Axel was exaggerating. Next, I know something like this is totally unrealistic, however, this is called fan**fiction** for a reason. So yeah, fun fun. Um... I'm really tired! I haven't slept in ages! So, I don't own any of the Kingdom Hearts characters. (Yes, Cloud counts as a KH character.) Though I do own pretty much everything that has Kingdom hearts themes... Seriously, I have all the games, the manga, tons of T-Shirts, a chair, plushies... I even have a blanket! But enough bragging! Thanks again for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Axel couldn't believe it. He was in the car with the two blondes, one of them scowling and driving, the other grinning and ranting about something. Somehow, the little blonde had managed to convince the judge that Axel would be better off going home with him than in a prison. Now Axel wasn't so sure which seemed scarier. Two years with this confident little ball of energy, or five behind bars. At the moment, he was kind of craving the cell.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Axel was pulled out of his thoughts as his attention was demanded by the blonde.

"Does it look like I'm fucking listening to you?" The blonde smiled.

"Considering that you just responded, it looks like you are now." Axel groaned. He would definitely prefer the cell. "Anyway, how old are you?"

"Why the hell do you care, Blondie?" The blonde in question scowled.

"Not Blondie! My name is Roxas!" Axel rolled his eyes.

"That's great, kid. Fuck off." Roxas seemed to get angrier.

"It's not 'Kid', either! ROXAS! Say it with me. Ro-xas!" Axel turned away, not wanting to continue the conversation with 'Ro-xas'. "Besides, if I guessed right, and you're sixteen, I'm only a year younger!" Axel's eyes widened at that, and he turned to face Roxas again.

"You can't be serious! I'll give you ten, but no higher!" Roxas grinned.

"Dead serious. I'm fifteen. So, was I right? Are you sixteen?" Axel just couldn't grasp the concept that this kid was fifteen, but nodded. "I thought so. Do you have your licence?"

"Was I charged with attempted vehicular escape?" Roxas shook his head. "Then do you think I have a fucking license?"

"I suppose not. But, you know, you don't have to cuss to make a point. Your tone tells me you're annoyed." Axel turned again, trying to ignore the most annoying kid he had ever met.

"Go to hell." Roxas sighed, but didn't give up.

"Okay, so you did Angel Dust right?"

"Do. Present tense. I ain't quitting." At this point, Cloud couldn't help but cut in.

"I'm afraid that you are. Judge's orders."

"Fuck you." Cloud pinched the bridge if his nose in frustration.

"Alright, listen. I'm about as happy about this as you are, but you're going to have to accept the fact that your going to have to change. You got an incredibly lucky break. If it weren't for Roxas, you'd be locked up in an empty room right about now. And I know for a fact that you don't want that. So why don't you swallow your stupid pride, thank Roxas, and get used to our way of life, cause you're going to be living it for the next two years." Axel scowled, but kept his mouth shut to brood over it silently.

-.-.-.-.-.~+~.-.-.-.-.-

"Okay, this is gonna be your room. Hold on a sec and I'll get you some bed clothes." Roxas ran out of the small room, leaving Axel alone to asses the damage. The first thing he noticed was the size. It was relatively small, but that really didn't bother Axel too much, considering that he didn't need too much space. Just enough for all of his stuff and he was good. What bothered him was the decor. Everything was blue. The walls, the furniture, the curtains, the carpet, everything. While Axel was considering the blueness of the room, Roxas reentered, his arms overflowing with bedding.

"Alright. I got you a sheet, a comforter, a fuzzy blanket, and a bunch of pillows!" Axel turned to look at the blonde, a sense of dread lacing his mind. Sure enough, everything in the Roxas' arms was blue. Axel visibly shuddered. "Huh? Is something wrong?" Axel shook his head.

"Well, no... Everything is just so..."

"Blue?" Roxas finished, then smiled. Axel nodded. "Yeah, this used to my room. See, one of Cloud's friends used to live with us, but he moved out two years ago, so I got his room."Axel nodded.

"You like blue this much?" Roxas smiled.

"Yep. My new room is all blue too. It's my favorite color."

"I can tell." Roxas' smile slowly faded into a worried frown.

"Um... Do you not like blue?" Axel chuckled at the childish worry.

"I don't have anything against it... But it isn't really my favorite color." Roxas looked relieved.

"Okay. If you want, we can paint it a different color. But you're going to have to deal for a little while." Roxas then set to work on making Axel's bed. Axel, as much as it surprised him, started to feel bad for making Roxas wait on him like that, so he went to the opposite side of the bed, and started tugging the sheets down over the corners.

"Oh, thank you. I always have trouble with getting the sheets to come down on the other side. They like to slide off of the opposite corner, and then it turns into a game of cat and mouse... You know, this is nice." Axel looked at him funny.

"Huh?" Roxas smiled at him.

"We had a whole conversation, and you didn't cuss once. It was a nice change." Axel thought about it and realized that he was right. He hadn't cussed. That was a pretty big feat for Axel. Ever since he could remember, he had been forced to use a nasty word in every sentence to get himself heard. The people he hung out with didn't pay any mind to the kid with a clean mouth. But now... He was getting listened to, and he didn't really have to try. That was definitely new to him.

"Um, yeah. So..." Axel was feeling at a loss for words, and it was awkward. However, Roxas didn't seem uncomfortable at all. He smiled happily at Axel, then came around to his side of the bed.

"So, you want a tour?" Axel thought that over, and nodded his head, deciding it would be best to know where everything was, instead of having to fumble around the house to find everything. It was actually a pretty big house, considering that Cloud was a police officer. Roxas grinned, and grabbed Axel's hand, not paying any mind to the little start Axel got. Axel was prepared to protest, but figured that Roxas would win out in the end, so he simply kept his mouth shut and allowed the blonde to lead him out of the room. He was led into a hallway, which his room was at the end of, and pulled to the room next to it. Roxas opened the door and pulled him inside. Axel could tell immediately whose room it was. "This is my room."

"Obviously. I think it's even blue-er than mine... If that's even possible..." Axel took it in, remarking at the overwhelming amount of blue. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the color, and he started to pick out details. There were anime and game posters all over the walls, which Axel barely kept from scoffing at. Sure, he liked anime and games as much as the next guy, but this was overboard. There were posters from almost every game he had ever played, and more anime posters than should have been allowed. Axel was honestly surprised the little blonde had managed to cram that much on his walls. There was a medium sized TV on the dresser, with a PlayStation Two hooked up to it. In the corner was a couch, littered with all kinds of things, but mostly clothes and... Plushies... There were wooden shelves built into one of the walls, and they were filled to the point of bursting. Some of the shelves held actual books, some had Manga, some anime, others held notebooks, and nicknacks. Axel had a hard time taking them all in. Roxas had a queen sized bed, the same as Axel, and it was covered in blue. The last thing Axel noticed was a small desk overflowing with loose papers. He tried to look at them, but Roxas still had his hand, and was keeping him from moving. Axel took notice that, despite its' eclectic variety of decor and furnishings, Roxas had somehow found nearly everything he owned in blue. Even the posters, TV, and PlayStation were blue.

"Okay. Next!" Roxas pulled him out without another word, leading him to the next door. Before entering, he knocked, which signified to Axel that this room probably belonged to Cloud. Sure enough, it was Cloud's voice that responded to the knock.

"What?"

"Cloud, I'm giving him a tour. Can he see your room?" Axel rolled his eyes. He didn't really care if he saw the cop's room or not.

"... I guess so... Hold on." Roxas tapped his foot impatiently. A few seconds later the door was opened to reveal Cloud in more casual clothes. This made Axel realize that he was still in his pathetic excuse for nice clothes. He didn't have any clothes to change into, so he assumed he would be stuck like this for a while. He looked down and saw that Roxas had changed as well. He was now wearing a graphic t-shirt, and a pair of jeans that cut off right below his knee. Axel began to feel awkward once again, wishing he could change into something less formal.

"Thanks Cloud. Don't worry, we won't touch anything." Cloud stood to the side to allow them in, and Axel followed behind Roxas as he took in the room.

It was honestly pretty boring compared to the hype of Roxas' room, but Axel kind of appreciated that. It was mostly in monotone shades; Grays, Browns, Blacks. There was a bit of color in some places, but not enough to call the room bright. It was a simple, neutral room. After Axel had taken in everything, Roxas pulled him back out, giving Cloud a quick thanks. Axel couldn't help but notice that Cloud watched as they left, almost scrutinizing them. Axel got a nasty feeling that it was due to the fact that Roxas had is fingers twined with Axel's. He wondered if the man happened to be a homophobe. Axel decided that it didn't matter at that point; He was straight, so it wasn't going to be a problem. Well, mostly straight, anyway...

Roxas showed Axel the bathroom upstairs, fully equipped with a shower/Bath. He also showed him the bathroom/hall closet, that contained all of the bath-time necessities. This included, but was not limited to towels, extra bottles of shampoo and conditioner, body wash, extra rolls of toilet paper, etc. From this closet Roxas took out a brand new red tooth brush, and handed it to Axel.

"Figured you might like to brush your teeth on occasion. There's toothpaste and mouthwash by the sink. Just stick your toothbrush with the rest of them." Axel nodded, ripping into the packaging. He went back into the bathroom and found the cup containing the other two toothbrushes. He placed his in as well, mentally laughing at how well the common items matched their owners. Roxas' was blue, and Cloud's was black. Axel's red one seemed to fit the trend. He left his toothbrush to it's own devices as he exited the large bathroom. He was still marveling the fact that a cop's salary could pay for such a nice house. Roxas seemed satisfied as Axel walked out, and grabbed his hand once again.

Axel allowed himself to be led down the stairs that ended right at the front entrance. This area he was familiar with. He had had to walk through it to get to his room upstairs. Roxas had already instructed him that he was to take his shoes off every time he entered the house, and that they were to be put in the closet underneath the staircase. Roxas opted to skip a second run of the lecture, and led Axel into the living room instead. Axel immediately took a liking to the room. It was open, and comfortably furnished. However, the thing that made him happy was the red paint on the walls. He loved the shade that had been picked, and he stared at it intently for a few seconds. Eventually his eyes wandered to the ample furniture. There was a huge brown couch against one wall, and it looked absolutely comfortable. Axel was tempted to go flop onto it, but held himself back, not wanting to ruin what little pride he had left in tact. There was also a large recliner in the corner, and a been bag on the floor, both the same shade of brown as the couch. The recliner took to Axel's fancy, but he got the feeling that it was Cloud's territory. He resigned himself to that fact, and decided to claim the couch later. His attention was quickly stolen away by the HUGE tv against the far wall. Axel felt a pang of jealousy at the obviously expensive flat-screen, until he realised that he would be watching tv on that same flat-screen for the remainder of his time in the house. This made him grin a little; Enough for Roxas to notice.

"Are you smiling about the tv, or the Wii?" The blonde asked him innocently. Axel's brows furrowed, until his eyes discovered the Wii connected to the television. That wasn't all though. There was also a PS2 and a DVD player. Seriously, how the hell was a cop affording all of this?

"All of it, I suppose. Quite the setup, I must admit. Why the PS2?" Roxas blushed a bit.

"Well, the Wii is great and all, but it is totally lacking in the RPG genre. Those are my favorites. The best ones always come out for Playstation 2. I have one in my room too." Axel nodded.

"I noticed. Is that all you have?" As he had said, Axel liked video games as much as the next guy... The next guy who was wearing a gamer's shirt...

"No, I have a DS too. They have okay RPGs." Axel nodded, now missing his DS which was still at his old place.

"Okay, well, that's the living room. Now, onto the kitchen!" Axel actually chuckled as Roxas pumped his fist in the air with fake enthusiasm. Roxas stopped dead in his tracks and looked back at Axel, surprise evident on his face. "D...Did you just laugh?" Axel gave Roxas a funny look. He was making it sound as though he had never expected the sound to come out of Axel's mouth.

"Yeah... Is that a bad thing?" Roxas stared for a moment, then shook his head, smiling.

"No! It's a wonderful thing!" He turned around and practically skipped to the kitchen.

After pushing open a knob-less door, which Axel noticed was made to open both ways, Roxas pulled Axel into the neat kitchen. It was a decent size, and had the standard kitchen necessities. Everything was clean and organized. There were no dishes in the sink, and the counters were all spotless. Axel was starting to realise that everything in the house, besides Roxas' room, was kept meticulously clean. He didn't mind, he just hoped that he wouldn't be expected to help with the upkeep. Axel did NOT clean. Not unless he was physically hindered by the mess. Roxas started to open cabinets, and point out where various foods could be found, as well as showing him the contents of the fridge. Axel noticed with glee that there were three cartons of orange juice in the fridge. He adored orange juice, and it was apparent that someone else in the house did as well.

"Whose orange juice?" Roxas grinned.

"Mine." Axel met the challenge with a smirk of his own.

"Not for long." Roxas giggled.

"Is that so? Well, perhaps I don't want to share. It is my house after all."

"Oh? Well, if you want any chance of me getting clean you'd better learn to share. My two addictions: Angel Dust and orange juice. Better pick the lesser of two evils." Axel was kidding, of course. He had no plans of quitting Dust. Getting wet just felt too good. He loved the wonderful embrace of the numbness, enveloping his body in pain-free comfort. So what if he hallucinated occasionally? It was never anything too terrible. Still, if it got him a portion of his favorite beverage, of course Axel would let the little lie slip.

"Is that right? Well, I'll give you that one. I really don't mind sharing with a fellow addict!" Axel let his grin grow at that, happy to have convinced Roxas to share.

"You sure? I drink a lot." Roxas chuckled and nodded. Axel felt his heart skip a beat at the gentle tinkling of the sound, before mentally ripping his heart out for even giving it a second thought.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Here, the laundry room is through this door." Axel followed and found himself in a small room, equipped with a new looking washer and dryer. There was also a small metal bar suspended from the ceiling, which he assumed was to be used for the clothes that couldn't be dried.

"...Damn..." Roxas glared at him before his expression softened.

"Commenting on the washer and drier?" Axel shook his head.

"No, I'm commenting on everything in this house! You guys have so much stuff! How..."

"How does Cloud afford it all?" Axel nodded, glad that it wasn't a touchy subject that he was treading on. "We have a rich grandmother, and she sends us money all the time. We've told her not too, but she always says 'Nonsense! Everyone could use a little extra cash! Besides, an old biddy like me doesn't need it anyway! Who better to waste it on than my two favorite grandsons?' Cloud and I stopped trying to reason with her, and we just accept it with grace. It does help a lot, actually. We own the house, and we have nice things. Still, I can't help but feel bad for taking it all. I mean, it's true that she doesn't need it, but she worked her whole life to get it..." Roxas sighed and shook his head as though to clear it of the thought. "All of my friends are insanely jealous."

"I'm pretty jealous myself," Axel asserted. Roxas laughed quietly, leading him back into the kitchen.

"Don't be. It's your stuff too, now." Axel was a bit touched by this.

To be frank, Roxas had annoyed Axel at the beginning. However, Axel had to admit that the blonde was starting to grow on him. True, he never shut up, but that was turning out to be a good thing. Axel needed to be distracted, otherwise his withdrawals would drive him insane. Roxas gave him something else to focus on. And... The blonde was just so... Welcoming. He immediately accepted Axel. Not even knowing him, Roxas had offered to help Axel, and convinced others to take his side. And yet, Axel could find no pity in Roxas. He felt as though Roxas... Understood. He knew that Roxas would never even think to touch drugs, but he got the feeling that Roxas didn't need to do drugs to understand what Axel was experiencing. He just seemed to have receptors that sensed the miserableness emmiting from Axel. And the funny thing; He didn't give a shit! He didn't find Axel repulsive, nor did he think him stupid. He thought of Axel as an equal human being who was simply down on his luck. And not until now did Axel realise that this was what he needed all along.

He had always been seen as a pathetic, worthless piece of shit. His parents thought so, his peers and teachers thought so, everyone thought so. That was probably what got Axel hooked on Dust. The way it worked, it made him feel separate from his body, which made Axel's mind feel weightless. He didn't have to worry or care what others thought of him. When you go numb, those things don't matter anymore. But, when he tried to sober up, he realised that the sensation came at a price. Addiction was one hell of a sick bitch. Or rather, it made Axel one sick bitch. His life had begun to run entirely around the substance, and he couldn't function properly without it. The past two weeks had been literal hell for him. He would honestly prefer flame and demons to this awful feeling. He wanted, more than anything else at the moment, to go completely numb, and just forget that the whole disaster had ever happened.

But Roxas... He gave Axel a little hope. Maybe his overly trusting and accepting attitude would do Axel some good. He made Axel feel like a person again, which was something he had been craving for years now. To find it now... Well, better late than never. Axel had already decided that he couldn't quit, but maybe he could cut back...? That wouldn't be too horrible...

"Well, what do you want to do now?" Axel snapped back to reality and found that he was standing in the living room, Roxas' hand still in his.

"Oh, um... I... I guess I'd like to change..." He gestured at his clothes, disgust obvious in his tone.

"Right, sorry. The judge is arranging for us to go pick up your stuff. But there isn't much I can do before then. You're stuck for a little while." Roxas said it almost apologetically. Axel sighed, and detached himself from the blonde. He took the vest he had been forced to wear off, throwing it on the couch. He then proceeded to remove his belt, letting it fall on top of his vest.

"I can deal," he offered before looking back at the mess he had made. "Sorry, habit." He picked the articles back up.

"It's alright. I don't really care. Just don't let cloud see you. He'll throw a hissy fit. He spends all of his free time cleaning." Axel laughed.

"I had thought so! Everything is so clean! Does he make you clean too?" Roxas gave him a puzzled look.

"Did you see my room?" Axel chuckled.

"Well that's good. I am so not a tidy person." Roxas nodded in understanding.

"I know what you mean. I clean my room about once a month, if that. Anyway, you wanna watch a movie?" Axel thought it over, and nodded, deciding that he wanted to test out the flat-screen.

"Sure. What movie?" He sat down on the couch, and nearly purred as he sunk into the squishy plush. It had looked comfy, but he had never expected it to be this wonderful.

"Um... What kind of movies do you like?" Roxas took out a CD case and started flipping through it.

"Pretty much everything but chick flicks." Roxas nodded.

"How about horror?" Axel raised an eyebrow at that. He couldn't believe that this little bundle of joy and rainbows was into horror films.

"Sure. That's fine." Roxas gave a slight smile before choosing one of the movies and putting it in the player. The previews started playing and Roxas came to sit next to Axel. Axel felt the couch beside him sink a little with the presence of the blonde. He noticed that he wasn't the only one who loved the squishy upholstery, as Roxas sighed as the plush embraced him gently.

"God, I love this couch!" Roxas looked over at Axel, tilting his head as if asking what he thought.

"Yeah, I can see why. Totally surrounds you in a squishy hug of comfortable doom!" There was an awkward silence, before Roxas burst into fits of laughter. Axel however, did not see what was so funny.

"Um..." Roxas continued to laugh uncontrollably, obviously getting a kick out of something Axel had said. Axel started to get agitated. "What?" After calming a bit, Roxas attempted an answer.

"A squishy hug of doom? Where on earth did that come from?" Axel thought about the words he had said, and after hearing them spoken by another, he realised the humor behind them. This ended up sending Axel into his very own fit of laughter, which was quickly joined by Roxas. They couldn't stop the peals of laughter coming out, and went on for nearly five minutes. Eventually though, Cloud heard the noise, and came to investigate. What he found was two teenagers, literally rolling on the floor laughing their asses off. To be honest, seeing Axel laugh shocked him, and he had to take a few moments to gather his senses, do a double-take, then repeat.

"Oh? And just what's so funny that it has Axel laughing?" Both looked up and quieted a bit, surprised by the sudden intrusion. They both stopped their hysterical laughter, but couldn't contain the little giggles that escaped. Roxas waited a moment, and gathered all of his perseverance. He then looked Cloud straight in the eye, with the straightest face possible, and replied:

"Squishy hugs of doom." There was the awkward pause, and then Axel and Roxas both broke back off into fits of laughter. They were on the floor again, apparently finding this phrase to be the funniest thing they had ever heard. Cloud just looked on, not understanding why the words were so humorous. Perhaps it was a teenager thing?

"...Epic... Um... I'm going to go get some pizza. Is it safe to leave you two alone, or are you going to suffocate yourselves?" Although Axel was still relishing the feeling of laughing, which he hadn't done in quite a while, the mention of pizza, a real food, brought him back to his senses, about as quickly as he had abandoned them.

"What kind of pizza?" He hated to sound egar, but compared to stale Cheetos, pizza sounded like a gourmet meal. Cloud smirked, pleased with how easy it was to grab Axel's attention.

"Pizza Hut." Axel shook his head, signaling that this was not the information he had been seeking.

"Well that's a given. I mean what toppings." Cloud rolled his eyes. Axel was a smart-ass. That was pretty apparent.

"I'm getting a supreme. What do you want on yours? I'll get a pizza for you and Roxas to share. Half and half on the toppings." Axel turned to look at Roxas, who had managed to calm down.

"What do you like?"

"Peperoni and Canadian bacon." He said this quickly, without any hesitation. Axel grinned, nodding his approval.

"Now you're speaking my language. Same for me. Just get the whole pizza like that." Cloud nodded, surprised to find anyone with tastes that matched Roxas'. In his mind, the two meats simply could not go together, but each one to their own. He stole one more glance at the teens, and decided that Roxas would be capable of holding down the fort. Axel was obviously going to be a handful, but, as it seemed to be with everyone who met him, Axel had grown a soft-spot for the little blonde. Never in a million years had Cloud expected to see Axel hand in hand with someone, nor to see him on the floor laughing. And yet, here he was, not even with Roxas for a half-hour, and he was already acting like a normal teen. Shaking his head in pure amazement, Cloud finally exited his home. This was going to be an interesting few years.

A/N: Hmm... Well, I had actually planned on this chapter being longer. I mean, I had written it in my little jot book what would happen, and a lot more did in the original plan. However, stuff happened, and I felt bad for how long it was looking. I know most people love long chapters, but there is a difference between long, and too long. But don't fret! You'll still get the rest of what I had planned, I'm just splitting it into two chapters! So be prepared! Man, I really am liking the whole "Plan it out before you start" thing. It has made this a lot easier to work on. I usually just get an idea and start writing... But I actually tried planning ahead this time, and I'm liking it. If anyone writes like I usually do, I totally suggest trying this! I actually know what to write next! I know it seems like it might take some of the fun out of it, but you can always change your plans! I ended up doing that! So, enough ranting! How are you guys liking it so far? I personally love this story! It's my pet project. I hate to say it, but I look forward to working on this one the most out of all of my stories! Axel's already getting soft on Roxas! Is this a good or bad thing? Only the readers can tell! So please, drop me a review! Please? I'm a total review whore! Thanks for reading, and Hallelujah for snow days!


	3. Chapter 3

Axel had to admit that it was nice to laugh again. He had had no reason to laugh in quite a few years, and thinking back, he didn't think he had ever laughed that hard. Definetly not over something as stupid as "Hugs of Squishy Doom." Honestly, he probably wouldn't have even chuckled at it without Roxas' reaction. That was what had set him over the edge. Roxas had been laughing so hysterically, Axel couldn't help but join in. He half expected Cloud to add to the merriment when Roxas had told him the joke. Cloud had kept his composure however. He wasn't a cop for nothing, Axel decided. After Cloud left to get the pizza, Axel and Roxas had managed to remain sober, and had sat back down on the couch. Both looked up, and were met with a pitch black screen. Axel raised an eyebrow, wondering if this was some kind of ploy. Was something mortifying going to pop out of the darkness? Or was it a disk error...

"Oh! We unplugged the TV!" Roxas remarked, then got down on his hands and knees to fix the wiring problem.

Now, Axel had always considered himself to be Bi. Still, he had also considered himself a rather straight-swinging Bisexual. However, he couldn't keep his eyes from wandering to the blonde's cute little butt. Bent over like that, with his shorts hugging him just right, Roxas looked absolutely delicious. That is what Axel was thinking, until he mentally slapped himself for thinking such things. Roxas was a BOY. A YOUNGER boy. A younger boy whom Axel would be LIVING WITH for the next few years. He COULD NOT be thinking of Roxas in this manner, no matter how good his ass looked when it was up in the air like that... Axel physically smacked himself this time, the sound alarming Roxas enough for him to turn and glance back at Axel over his shoulder.

"Um... Are you okay?" Axel felt the blush on his cheeks. One of the many downfalls of being sober; embarrassment was a tangible emotion once again.

"Yeah. Fine." Roxas gave him a look that said he was still worried, but decided to go back to the wiring. Good timing too, Axel decided, because the way Roxas had been looking at him was painfully irresistible. So innocently concerned... Axel was tempted to slap himself again, but saved himself the embarrassment. Roxas continued to fuss with the cords a few more moments, before practically jumping up off the ground and clapping his hands together.

"Hah! Fixed it!" He exclaimed triumphantly before making his way over to the couch and taking his seat. Axel watched as he walked over, and found his cheeks to be heating up. He felt awkward, and he didn't know why. Whatever the reason, Axel wanted the silence to end somehow.

"Um... Didn't you just have to plug it back in?" It was a simple conversation starter, but it was a conversation starter non-the-less.

"Well, yeah, but the cords were all mixed up, so I wanted to organize them real fast." Roxas looked down at his feet sheepishly as he said it.

"Oh? I thought you said that you didn't like to clean." Roxas nodded.

"I don't. But I must admit, it gets hard to maneuver around back there when the cords get like that. I mean, I was already down there, I figured I might as well." Axel shook his head, wanting to laugh at the walking contradiction.

"Alrighty then. What are we watching, anyway? I forgot to ask." Roxas smiled up at Axel, which immediately sent Axel's heart into his stomach. That smile couldn't mean anything good...

"The Ring." Axel took a moment to process that, then visibly relaxed and chuckled.

"Oh. Man, you had me worried there for a minute. I thought you were gonna put on some serious shit, like Saw or something." Roxas made a face at that.

"Ew! No, I can't stand the Saw movies! They're so pointless and gross! I mean, I think the whole reason they were made was so the director could live his sick fantasies! Sick fantasies of blood and guts and bloody guts and EW!" Axel's eyes had widened at the blonde's little rant, but they slowly returned to their normal size, and he began to laugh.

"I take it you aren't big on the gore then?" Roxas shook his head and stuck his tongue out.

"Gore isn't scary. It's just gross. I hate gory movies." Axel nodded his head in agreement, still laughing lightly.

"Me too. I like the good old classics. Good choice, by the way. Not the scariest movie in the world, but a good movie." Roxas nodded in appreciation.

"It was the first one I ever saw, so I can't help but love it." Axel offered a smile before his attention was stolen away by the start menu. Roxas noticed as well, and pressed the play button to start the movie. They waited in silent anticipation as the movie began, and got through most of the opening scene, with the two girls at home alone. Despite the fact that both of them had seen the movie multiple times, they both jumped when the house phone rang in unison with the movie. They gave each other a look, confirming that both were unsettled by the strange coincidence. The phone continued to ring.

"Um... Will you get that Axel?" The red-head looked at the blonde incredulously.

"It's your phone." Roxas seemed to tense at that, and looked wearily at the phone.

"But... You're older. The eldest should deal with business." Axel shook his head. He wasn't answering that phone if Roxas paid him... Okay, maybe if he paid enough, but that was unlikely.

"But no one is expecting me to be here. They'll probably freak out an think I'm some murderer, or a rapist or something." Again Roxas began to fret.

"B-but... I'm scared." Axel sighed. He couldn't say no now. Roxas had admitted his fear, so it would make Axel an ass if he didn't do it. He got up and walked over to the still ringing phone. Roxas paused the movie, and watched in anticipation.

"What's your last name, Blondie?" Axel had done it on purpose, and enjoyed the agitated look that Roxas gave him. The blonde kept his mouth shut about it though. After all, Axel was answering his death call for Roxas.

"Strife." Axel couldn't help but scoff at the prissy sounding name. He then returned to the dilemma at hand. The answering of the cursed phone. He took in a deep breath before pulling the phone off the hook.

"What took you so long to answer, Roxas? I mean jeez! What are you watching, The Ring?" Axel hesitated. It sounded like Cloud, but phones changed voices.

"Um... Strife Residence?" It was more of a question than a statement. There was a pause as Cloud obviously realised his mistake.

"Oh, sorry Axel. Not used to there being another person in the house." Yeah, Axel could tell.

"S'alright. You wanna talk to Roxas? Oh, and we are watching The Ring, by the way. How'd you know?"

"Cause if I call and he's watching it, he never picks up the phone. And yeah, could you put him on?" Axel gave a quick sure before chucking the phone at Roxas. Roxas ducked in an attempt to avoid it, but just ended up getting popped in the head. Rubbing his forehead where the phone had hit, he gave Axel a worried look.

"Is it Samara?" Axel couldn't tell if Roxas was really scared, or if he was just a really good actor.

"No, it's Cloud. Still just as scary in my opinion." Roxas giggled before bringing the phone to his ear and beginning his conversation with Cloud. Axel waited for a moment, ready to have the phone thrown back to him to put on the hook, but it seemed that whatever the two blondes were talking about was rather important. Axel figured they'd be at it for awhile, and decided to go grab some fresh air. He walked around to the front entrance, and opened the door. Stepping outside felt wonderful. Axel sat down on the top stair of the porch. It was rather reminiscent of how he and Saix used to sit and get wet on Saix's porch. That's when it hit Axel: He was free! He could call for some dust!

He grabbed his cell out of his pocket, which had been returned to him after he was released into Cloud's custody, and started going through his contact list. He decided that he would have to delete a lot of the names he had. After you get caught, people get standoffish. Though he himself had never had the pleasure, Axel heard stories of shootings between friends all too often. Continuing his search, Axel couldn't help but pause at Saix's name. Saix... His best friend, his most trusted ally, his first man-crush...

Axel shook his head, as if the action would clear it of the thoughts. He highlighted the name, pressed enter, then highlighted "Delete". Again, he couldn't help but pause to take in the full impact of the name. After all, it had meant so much to him, for so long. But apparently it meant nothing to Saix. He was only concerned for himself, if at all. Axel found himself intensely angry all of a sudden, and pushed the enter button harshly. He watched the hourglass turning around on the screen as the name of the most important person in his life was erased. Satisfied, Axel was returned to the top of the list.

He remembered his purpose, and began searching the names again. After looking at all of the plausible candidates, he settled for Demyx. Demyx wasn't a user, just a dealer. He was indifferent to the entire situation. As long as he had his baggy of weed, he was fine with just about anything. That's what made him such a great choice; He would trade the hard stuff for a little pot. Axel wasn't complaining, but he felt like he was cheating the blonde half the time. But, if it made mullet-head happy, who was Axel to object. Besides, Axel got his dust pretty reasonably. It was never laced coming from Demyx, and it was some of the purest stuff Axel had ever had. Turns out Demyx's boyfriend made it himself. Another perk was that Demyx didn't ask for immediate payment. He got the money sitch. As long as he got his dues within a reasonable amount of time, he didn't have a problem. But if someone neglected to pay/trade, Demyx sent his boyfriend after them. Now Zexion, he didn't look like someone to be feared, considering his short stature and feminine qualities, but if he was out to get you... Better make yourself disappear. You wouldn't have a face to speak of, or with, once he finished with you. But Axel always paid up, so there wasn't really a need for that fear.

Axel pushed call, and waited for the stoner to pick up. The ringer sounded five times before Demyx answered with a lazy "What's up?"

"Nothin' much. You got any dust on you?" Demyx giggled girlishly, obviously having chose to add alcohol to his already intoxicated manner.

"Fuck yeah. Don't I always? Want some?" Axel scoffed at the stupid question.

"What do you think? Do I ever call you for anything else?" Demyx laughed again, a bit more composed this time.

"Aww, so you're just using me, Ax? I'm so hurt!"

"Mm. I'm sure."

"Alright, jokes aside, how much you want?" Axel thought this over. He didn't know when his next chance would be to get any, so he figured he should get a lot.

"Um..." He was cut off by Demyx, who seemed to be conversing with someone on the other line.

"No... No! Stop! ... I know you're horny, but I'm on the phone! Just wait a sec! No!" Axel's eyes widened, realising almost immediately what was going on.

"Um... Am I interrupting?"

"Well, yeah. But honestly, it's a good thing you are! He's fucked me five times already Axel! Can you believe that? And he wants more! I don't think Zexion is human!" Axel chuckled at the blonde's little dilemma. "Anyway, how much?" Axel nodded his head, as though Demyx could see the gesture.

"Um... How about..." His sentence was cut short, as his phone was yanked from his hand. "H-Hey!" He looked up to see a familiar blonde glaring at him.

"Sorry, Mr. Whoever-you-are, but Axel had decided to quit drugs. Have a nice day." And with that Roxas hung up. Axel stared at him incredulously, realising that his chances of getting wet that evening were getting smaller by the second.

"Um, excuse me, but I was on the phone." Roxas shot him a death glare that Axel couldn't muster the coherency to believe the blonde had made.

"Yeah, on the phone with a drug dealer." Axel opened his mouth to retaliate, but closed it again. After all, it was the truth.

"What's it to you if I was?" Roxas gave him another long glare, before pocketing the phone in his hand.

"I'm confiscating your phone. You can't have it back until I deem you fit to have it returned." With that, he turned and strode into the house, completely ignoring Axel's previous comment, much to Axel's disliking. The redhead stood and followed Roxas into the house, attempting to come up with a decent reason not to wring the blonde's neck.

"Y-You can't take my phone! It's mine!" Roxas scoffed at the remark.

"Not anymore." Axel blanched. Did this kid have any sense of self preservation? He took a quicker stride to catch up to Roxas.

"You aren't my guardian! You can't take it!" Axel assumed he had Roxas beat with this one, but somehow the blonde prevailed.

"I am when Cloud is out. I'm in charge." Axel shook his head in disbelief.

"He never said that!" The blonde tsked, and shook his head.

"He didn't have to. It's a given. I'm more mature, therefore, I'm in charge. And that being said, I confiscated your phone. Don't worry, I'll give it to Cloud when he gets back, if it makes you feel any better." Axel groaned out his response to that.

"Of course that doesn't make me feel better! Just give me my phone!" At this point they had returned to the living room, and Roxas took his seat on the couch.

"Nope." His air of finality indicated to Axel that the topic wasn't up for further conversation. Defeated, Axel sat and crossed his arms.

"Fucking brat."

"Language." Axel scoffed.

"You aren't my god damned mommy!" Roxas flew up, anger in his eyes.

"No, no I'm not! And I feel awful for the poor woman who bore you! What did she ever do to deserve this? I wondered at first why you lived alone, but I think it's pretty obvious at this point! I'm sure nobody could put up with your crap for more than two days at the most! But you don't get a choice anymore! You're stuck here, whether you like it or not, and in this house, we watch what we say, and, quite simply, we don't do drugs! So you'd better get with the program, Axel, or the program is going to beat you to a bloody pulp. You are GOING to quit, you are GOING to use appropriate language, and you are GOING to get used to it! If you think for five seconds that Cloud is going to put up with you, let me tell you now, you are sadly mistaken! I'm honestly surprised that he hasn't torn you a new one! So sit down, shut up, and grow up!" Roxas stormed out of the room after he finished, right out the back door, and slammed it behind him. Axel stared after him, bewildered and unable to move. He figured the blonde could get angry, but that was... Scary. He had actually trembled a bit as Roxas screamed at him. Why the younger had lost his composure like that, Axel didn't know. Had he been faking the whole 'acceptance' thing the whole time? Had Axel said something horrendously wrong? When he thought about it, Axel couldn't help but notice that this was the first time he had ever questioned his own choices and authority. What about this fifteen year old boy had suddenly made him dote the conception of misdoing? Why did he fear a fifteen year old in the first place.

But Axel knew the answers. He tried to lie to himself, but it wasn't working. To be honest, Axel liked the atmosphere that Roxas created. Kind, welcoming, understanding, everything Axel had craved from the people around him, that hadn't been delivered. Roxas had attempted to feed Axel's hunger, and Axel ended up shutting him out. Realising the stupidity of his stubbornness, Axel went to the backdoor, and put his hand on the cold, bronze knob. But why had he been scared? Hand still on the knob, he thought, and tried to process a reason. Perhaps the shouting? But Axel did enough of that himself. The threats? Again, plenty of those. All that left was Roxas himself, but the boy was hardly intimidating. Despite his aversion to it, Axel tried to replay the scene in his head, and tried to notice the little things. After he got to the point that Roxas was shouting, Axel realised what it was.

"His eyes!" Roxas' bright crystal blue eyes had a hurt glint to them, which had sent a message to Axel. The kind of feeling you get when talking of death to a war veteran, a feeling of knowledge. Or perhaps depravity. That thing that says to you, "Aren't you a lucky bastard!" And it dawned on Axel; Where were Roxas' parents? Roxas lived alone with Cloud, and though a Grandmother had been mentioned, not a word of Mommy or Daddy had been spoken. Did something happen? Did Roxas take offense? Now Axel was fretting. If Roxas was mad at him, Axel might get some time to think, which would lead to withdrawals, and that meant many bad things. So, while it was selfish, Axel flung the door open and ran out, beginning his search for his little anti-drug.

Axel was a bit surprised to find himself face to face with a very steep, earthen hill. Who had decided it was a good idea to put a house at the bottom of an abnormally large hill was beyond Axel. The foot of it was clear and grassy, obviously meant to be a yard, but the summit plunged immediately into dense forest. This was going downhill for Axel, and fast. He didn't know this area, and he was a little directionally challenged. If he wasn't careful, he would get lost. Still, he couldn't leave Roxas in that state. He needed to apologize to the blonde before he took to hating Axel. So, this in mind, Axel plunged in.

+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+

Yeah, Axel was lost. He had honestly been expecting this to happen. He tried, in the beginning, to make mental markers as he went, but eventually the trees starting looking exactly alike. He had seen no sign of Roxas since he had left, and had no clue how long he had been looking for him. Perhaps Cloud was home with the pizza, and had found both boys missing. Maybe he called the cops, expecting the worst? The judge had said that the next time Axel was brought in, he was going to juvie, no questions asked. Of course, he wasn't really doing anything wrong at the moment, but he couldn't really prove it, and he doubted that Roxas would vouch for him at this point.

How big could a forest on a hill behind a couple of houses be? Axel was panicking at this point. Was he going in circles? Had he passed that tree? It looked awfully familiar... Was he going to die? How pathetic would that be? To die, one day after getting a second chance, at the hands of a pint sized forest. Not even dust, which would at least get him in the news paper somewhere other than just the obituaries. Drugged teens were a popular topic. But no, he was going to die because he couldn't get out of a backyard forest. If only he had some dust on him, so he could O.D. and get it over with fast, instead of starving to death.

Axel realised he was thinking of dust, and immediately tried to take his mind off of it, but it was too late. He felt a nasty crawling on his skin, and looked down at his arm. However, there was a disturbing absence of anything that could be causing the sensation. Axel freaked out, clawing at his arm. What was inside of him he didn't know, but he wanted it out. His nails tore into the skin, and blood began to seep. Axel paused, stunned he had drawn his own blood. It wasn't a lot, but it was still bleeding. Axel was wondering why his arm wasn't sending his brain the pain message, when he let out a low gasp and clasped his hand around his bleeding forearm. He had to make a mental note to never do that again. Who knew that clawing at flesh hurt so bad?

After his little episode, Axel decided that he could not allow himself to think of dust, especially if no one else was around. If he hadn't stopped when he did, he could have dug into an artery, and... Well, you get the point. He tried to push the pain to the back of his mind, and started to move forward again. He had to keep his cool. Roxas was out here somewhere, unless he had gone home... But surely somebody would come looking for Axel if he didn't return. Even if it was the police, that would be better than dieing in a forest.

The seemingly endless trees began to thin slowly. This gave Axel hope that he had found the edge, and would soon come to a street or row of houses. Despite not having found Roxas, Axel was content with having survived. However, when he got to the edge of the trees, he found himself in a clearing instead of in a street. He cursed, his hopes having been shattered ruthlessly. Grumbling, he cut through, planning on entering the dense trees on the opposite side. However, there was a rather appealing looking fallen tree. If he really tried, he could convince his imagination that it looked slightly similar to a couch. That was close enough for him at the moment. He made his way over, and hoisted himself up onto the thick trunk. He was about to swing his legs over the other side, when he noticed something spiky and... Blonde.

"ROXAS!" The blonde got a start, and sat up. He looked up at Axel groggily and yawned. Axel jumped down to the ground and looked Roxas over. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Roxas looked at him dumbly.

"What're you talkin' 'bout?" His words were slurred, and if Axel didn't know better, he would have sworn Roxas had smoked some pot. But he did know better.

"Were you sleeping?"

"Hmm...? Oh, yeah. Sup?" Axel looked at Roxas like he was crazy. Had he really forgotten everything that had happened? Just as he was thinking this, Roxas' face scrunched up, then his brows furrowed.

"Wait! I'm angry at you! Leave me alone!" Roxas stood with a scowl on his face, and turned to leave. After a brief moment of surprise, Axel burst out laughing. Roxas turned and gave him a confused glare. "What? What're you laughing at?" Axel tried to talk through his peals of laughter, but found it rather difficult.

"I'm sorry, sorry! It's just, I'm so relieved! I-I thought I was gonna die out here, and I thought that, if I couldn't find you, that I was gonna go to jail, and I thought I wasn't gonna get in the newspaper, and then you...!" He broke off in laughter again. Roxas' face scrunched again.

"You thought you were going to die...? But this forest isn't even two acres big..." Axel got a kick out of that too, and fell to the ground giggling. "And why would you go to jail? And what are you talking about 'not getting in the newspaper'?" Axel couldn't speak, but it was obvious that he was relieved. Roxas sighed. "Well... I guess I can forgive you this time... I did kind of overreact..." Roxas came back and squatted down next to the giggling redhead. "Hey, I get it alright? Let's go home." Axel nodded and stifled his laughter, with much difficulty. He got up and brushed his pants off, not able to contain the grin on his face. Roxas stood as well, then gave Axel a quick once over. "Oh! Axel, what happened to your arm?" Axel looked down, then remembered the little episode he had before finding the clearing.

"Right... Forgot about that... Um... Let's just say that withdrawal sucks..." Roxas' eyes widened, and it was obvious that he was worried. "Hey, don't give me that look. I'm alright. Or rather, I am now." Axel smiled to prove that the pain was bearable. Despite the doubt on his face, Roxas decided to let this one slip. He nodded, then did a little three-sixty with his eyes.

"It's starting to get dark... I wonder what time it is..." Axel nodded in agreement to the blonde's statement. "We should probably get home. I'm sure Cloud is freaking out right now. " So Axel had been right. He smirked at having guessed correctly. He was brought out of his proud thoughts by the shock of a hand in his. He looked down to find that Roxas had taken his hand. The blonde began to move forward, Axel in tow. Though it hurt his pride to have to be led out of a tiny forest by someone half his size, Axel definitely preferred this to dying. Roxas moved as though he knew where he was going, so Axel assumed that he did.

"Honestly Axel, how did you get lost in here? It's so small! No matter which direction you went in, you should end up at the edge. I've never once gotten lost!" Axel scratched the back of his head with his free hand.

"I dunno... I've never really been the best with directions... It's never been an important skill for me..." Roxas shook his head.

"And you knew that coming in?" He sounded either impressed or angry, Axel couldn't decide which.

"Yeah..." The blonde shook his head again.

"Why would you do that?" He sounded almost sad as he said it.

"Um... Well... I needed to find you... I couldn't just leave you out here like that..." Roxas seemed to tense a bit at Axel's words, but it went away so quickly that Axel had to question whether it really happened or not.

"I'm fine, obviously. You don't need to do reckless stuff like that for me." Axel smiled at the caring words.

"I'll remember that next time, if you promise me that you'll remember not to fall asleep in a forest where any manner of person could find you and do unspeakable things to you." Roxas stopped and turned at that, giving Axel a look that said he couldn't believe what had just come out of his mouth.

"...What kind of neighborhood do you think this is?" Axel chuckled.

"All neighborhoods have their own creepers. You'd be surprised." Roxas shook his head, but turned and resumed walking.

"Whatever... What were you talking about when you said that you 'wouldn't get into the Newspaper'?" Roxas let the previous topic go, bringing up the next.

"Huh? Oh, right... Well, I thought I was gonna die, and I figured that dieing alone in the forest wouldn't really get me much of a headline..." Roxas scoffed. "Huh, What are you laughing at?"

"You can't be serious! Did you really think you were going to die out here? Even if you hadn't found me, don't you think that someone would come looking for you? Generally, when someone goes missing, a search party is sent out. This isn't a big area, so it really wouldn't be hard to find you." Axel's face flushed.

"S-Shut up! I panicked, alright?" He scowled as Roxas Giggled. They then fell into silence. Axel couldn't decide if it was awkward or comfortable, but Roxas decided to break it before he could come to a conclusion.

"Hey Axel?" He didn't turn, and kept walking.

"Yeah?"

"... I'm sorry." Axel gave the back of his head a confused look.

"I wasn't really angry... I know it was stupid to think I would die out here, you don't have to..."

"No, not for that... I'm sorry for blowing up like that earlier... It wasn't fair of me..." Axel thought back, and remembered the whole reason he had come out here.

"Oh! No, that was my fault. I shouldn't have called Demyx in the first place. I... I just couldn't help myself... I'm sorry." Roxas shook his head and turned, making eye contact at last.

"No. I mean, yes, it was stupid of you, but it wasn't worth all this. I just..." He sighed, and it seemed like he was trying to decide whether or not to tell Axel something. "I... My parents died a few years ago, so... When you brought up 'mommy', I just snapped." Axel nodded. He had figured as much, and he now felt even more awful.

"I'm sorry Roxas. I didn't mean to bring that kind of stuff up for you. I was just pissed, and I vented on you."

"Yeah, I did the same with you... So, wanna forget all of this and be friends?" Axel smiled and nodded, receiving a smile from Roxas in return. It had been a while since he had made a friend, the last one being Saix, and that hadn't turned out so well. He hoped that Roxas would be better for him. "Okay, glad to hear it. But..." He turned ad began walking again. "My friendship had some requirements. First, no drugs. Second, limited profanity, and yes, I altered that one a bit, just for you. Third... Well, I don't know yet, but I'll think of something..." Axel chuckled, liking this friendship quite a bit already.

A/N:Okay, well, Chapter 3, yeah? Not much to say, other than the fact that I unfortunately do not own these lovely characters. Thank you to all of the reviewers, you guys rock, and please read and review! Thank heavens for snow days, or this chapter would not be up as fast as it was! I GOT PROJECT DIVA! HELLZ TO THE YEAH! I love it sooooooo much! BUt ugh, gotta work on fanfics! Sorry for the wait, too, but my teachers have gone crazy and seem to think we need to work even harder! Mkay, that's all for right now, I'm going to start working on the next one, so please look forward to it!

NOTICE: I am currently looking for a beta, so if anyone is interested then please talk to me. Gotta be a patient person though! I've got a life too!


	4. Chapter 4

Needless to say, Cloud was not pleased when the two made it back to the house. He had the phone in his hand as they walked in through the back door, obviously about to call the authorities to find out what horrible things Axel had done to his little brother while he was gone. He hung up the phone in a painfully calm manner, then turned to them both with a glare that would frighten the devil himself.

After getting an earful about how irresponsible they had been, and being made to swear not to do it again, the boys were allowed to dig into the pizza that was beginning to get cold. They both made a face at it as they felt it's temperature, and had a mini-fight over who got the microwave first. Roxas won, of course. They both heated the pizza and sat at the table before either noticed that something was amiss.

"Oh! I forgot! Your arm!" Roxas jumped up from the table, literally, and ran to the downstairs hallway closet. He returned with the first aid kit in his hands.  
"You don't have to. I'm fine, really." But Roxas, being the stubborn blonde that he was, shook his head and reached out for Axel's arm. Though his immediate reaction was to flinch or fight away, Axel relaxed and allowed the blonde to take his arm. If Roxas noticed the flinch, he chose to ignore it, pouring alcohol onto a cotton puff and dabbing it gently to the wounds. Axel hissed at the burning sensation, and would have hit the person applying the undesirable substance, had they been anyone but Roxas. But it was Roxas, so Axel tried to suck it up and ignore the pain. Roxas covered his arm carefully in band-aids, then repacked the first aid kit. He then returned it to it's closet, and rejoined Axel at the table.

"Better?" He inquired over a mouthful of pizza. He made a face as he realised that it had grown cold again.

"Yeah, thanks." Axel noticed the same as he bit into his.

"Don't talk with your mouths full." Cloud's remark was ignored as the two barely spared a glance in his direction of the living room. "And what happened? Why is your arm torn up?" Axel gave Roxas a look, wondering if he was about to get tattled on.

"He cut it on a thorn bush while we were in the forest. He's not really and outdoorsy person, if you can't tell." Axel gave Roxas a quick 'thank you' look, before shoveling more pizza in his mouth.

"Oh? What were you two doing in there anyway?" Roxas made a 'shit' face, and tried to improvise.

"Um... Well, see I... I wanted... To..."

"I asked him to take me out there. I'm directionally challenged, and I figured it would be better to get a tour of the place beforehand. Just in case, you know. Don't want to get lost and die out there..." Roxas stifled a giggle. Axel smirked, finding pride in his ability to get lost in a forest that small.

"Okay, whatever. Leave a note or something next time. I almost called the cops." The two teens nodded, despite the fact that Cloud could not see them from his vantage point. "Anyway, I'm done, so the living room's yours. Don't stay up too late, kay?"

"Okay. Night Cloud."

"Night. Hey, angsty, don't do anything stupid." Axel Scoffed.

"Sweet dreams to you too, Spiky."

"Be good."

"Uh-huh." With that, Cloud walked upstairs and Axel distinctly heard his door close behind him. There was a pause as Axel tried to find his words.

"Um... So what do you usually do with the living room?" Roxas looked up from his cold pizza.

"Hmm? Oh, I usually watch a movie or play a game or something." Axel scoffed.

"What, no porn?" Roxas face got almost as red as Axel's hair, which was something to be admired.

"Of course not! This is the living room! Cloud could walk in at anytime, and he does! He's the lightest sleeper I've ever met! He comes down like, twenty times a night! For like, no reason!" Axel smirked.

"So you've thought about it?" Roxas flushed further.

"N-No... Well, I mean... I... Um..." Axel laughed at his embarrassment.

"Roxas, you're a guy, it's natural, don't freak out so much. Do you have any?" Roxas shook his head vigorously. "Have you ever seen any?" Again, the response was no. "Wow, the epitome of innocence, huh?" Roxas scowled.

"Shut up. Maybe I just don't want to watch that crap! Everyone knows that it's fake anyway! I don't need to watch that to get off!" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, it was obvious that Roxas regretted saying them at all.

"Oh, so you aren't as innocent as you look?" Roxas stuck his tongue out, still blushing.

"I am fifteen. You know how puberty is." He wouldn't make eye contact as he spoke.

"Yeah, I know. Have you experimented with your sexuality?" It was obvious by the jump that Roxas did that he hadn't expect that. Axel realised how that must have sounded, but he wasn't going to take it back. He was straightforward, and he wanted to know. If Roxas was gay...

"Of course not! That... That's not right! I'm only fifteen!" Axel rose an eyebrow.

"So? Fifteen is too young?" Roxas gave him an incredulous look.

"Of course it is! You shouldn't start having sex until you're eighteen at the earliest!" Axel scoffed.

"Is that right? Well, I guess I broke the code of conduct." Roxas' eyes widened at that.

"You... You're not a virgin?" Axel scoffed yet again.

"Do I look like one?"

"Well, I... I don't know... Oh my god... You aren't... Oh wow... Are you... Um... You know..."

"Gay?" Axel finished for him. Roxas nodded. "No. I'm bi. I don't go specifically for one side or the other. Just whoever suits my fancy." Roxas gaped a bit, but nodded his head.

"O-Okay..." Axel could see his discomfort.

"Is that a problem?"

"N-No! Of course not! I just wasn't expecting that!" Axel couldn't help it, he was relieved. It would have been bad if Roxas was a total homophobe. "One of my best friends is gay, actually, so, yeah..."

"Really?" Roxas nodded. "I thought sex was bad."

"He hasn't done that! He just has a crush on this guy. He has for awhile, actually."

"Um... How do you know if you're gay if you haven't had sex? I mean, is that possible?" He looked miffed at that.

"Of course it's possible! You know if you love someone or not!" Axel tried to imagine that.

"Really? How do you know it isn't just admiration or lust? Like, isn't sex the ultimate test?" He flushed.

"Well, eventually... But it doesn't have to be! You can love without sex!"

"Is that right?"

"Y-Yeah!"

"Have you ever kissed anyone?"

"W-What? Where did that come from?" Maybe the drugs were messing with his head, but the question seemed well placed in Axel's mind. He laughed a bit at the violent reaction.

"I don't know. Have you?" Roxas seemed to contemplate the answer for a bit, or maybe whether or not to give one at all, but decided to tell in the end.

"Well... no..."

"Have you ever had a crush?" Again, his discomfort was obvious.

"Kind of? I liked this girl two years ago, but she's dating someone else right now, and I sort of stopped liking her... I don't know why..." Axel laughed internally. Puberty was why. His body had rejected the idea of the mentioned girl as soon as his sexual drive had set in.

"And what do you consider yourself to be?"

"Huh?" The blonde looked at him, his ignorance so painfully obvious.

"Are you straight, gay, bi?" His face reddened once again.

"I'm straight! Of course I am! Straight as an arrow!" Axel rolled his eyes.

"Okay, so, you've never kissed, barely crushed, and haven't fucked. How do you know that you're straight?"

"Hey, I said no profanity!"

"You said limited. Answer the question." Roxas did his best to imitate a glare, but failed and just ended up making himself that much more appealing.

"I... I don't like boys."

"Well, neither do I. Not all of them anyway. Certain ones, though, yes. Same way with girls. Maybe you just haven't found the right guy yet." Roxas seemed to mull that over, and Axel decided to let him think it through. He took his now pizza-less plate to the sink and dropped it in.

He couldn't help but notice how hard he had pressed the topic. It was almost as if he wanted Roxas to be gay. Actually, that would make sense. Roxas was his type... Short, blonde, blue eyes, young-looking... Axel mentally kicked himself for being a pedophile before heading back into the dining room. Roxas jumped a bit as the door closed, then looked at Axel with a "deer-in-the-headlights" look, before standing and taking his plate in as well.

Axel began to worry, afraid that Roxas would be overly uncomfortable around him now. That wasn't his intent when he had asked the question, he simply wanted to know more about the blonde. But if it kept up like this, then the plan might have backfired. Roxas reappeared, and Axel made a point of noticing him. Roxas didn't make eye contact, and said nothing as he walked past Axel and into the living room. Axel didn't know if he should follow or not.

"Um... Do you want to finish watching The Ring? We left pretty early..." Axel almost released a sigh of relief. It was awkward, but at least they were on speaking terms.

"Sure. But um... Is that a good idea? You seem like quite the scaredy-cat." Roxas threw him a pouty glare.

"I'm not five."

"You sure? You look five." Axel smirked at the indignant growl that escaped the blonde's throat. Instead of answering, Roxas turned the DVD player back on. Axel came and reclaimed his spot on the couch. He decided to stretch out, and pulled his feet up. He had been right about the recliner; It obviously belonged to Cloud. If that was of limits, he was at least going to get full use of the couch.

"Um... It's great and all that you're comfy, but I don't intend to sit on the floor." Axel eyed the blonde defiantly, obviously not planning on moving his feet. "Axel! Move!" The one in question shook his head. Roxas let out another growl, before pouncing. Axel yelped in surprise, not expecting to be attacked. Roxas landed on top of him, and began pushing randomly. Axel smirked and began to wrestle back. After a few moments, they both fell to the floor, still wrestling for dominance. Roxas attempted to right himself, trying to wriggle himself out of Axel's grasp and claim his spot. But Axel pulled him back down, and the rough-housing resumed. They rolled around, both trying to get the upper hand. Roxas, seeing an opening, scrambled to his feet, and literally threw himself at the couch. Finding that the blonde had indeed prevailed, Axel stood with a sigh. He sat on the couch again, this time forced to sit upright. Roxas smirked.

"You're lucky that I'm feeling generous, or you would've been on the floor right now!" Axel chuckled.

"Right, because you could take up this entire couch. Not even if you wanted to, small stuff." Roxas pouted, but said nothing else on the matter. The movie was at the main menu, and Roxas hit a button on the remote that caused the movie to start. Axel relaxed, realising that the awkwardness had evaporated between the two of them. He gazed at the screen, not really watching the movie. He had already seen this part, after all. He decided that watching Roxas would probably be more entertaining, and shifted his attention accordingly. Sure enough, the blonde's reactions to what happened on the screen kept Axel's attention much better than the movie itself. When he heard the telltale sounds of the "Video Tape of Death" being played, he couldn't help but chuckle as Roxas Screwed his eyes shut, a shudder wracking the Blonde's lithe form.

"What are you laughing at? It's gross! They stick a nail through someone's finger!" Axel stopped chuckling, but a smirk was firmly in place.

"...You do know that this is all fake, right?" Roxas threw him a glare.

"I'm not stupid. But it looks real, so it's gross!" Axel rolled his eyes.

"I told you it wasn't a good idea this late at night. It's time for all the little kids to be in bed." Axel let out a surprised yelp as a pillow collided with his face.

"I'm NOT a kid! I'm fifteen! I've seen this movie HUNDREDS of times!" Axel stared a bit, then chuckled again.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, or you're going to get Spiky down here!"

"Roxas? Are you okay?" Axel sighed with exasperation.

"Speak of the devil." Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Yeah Cloud, I'm fine. Go back to sleep." There was a pause, eventually followed by the sound of shuffling feet and the closing of a door. Axel took his turn in eye rolling.

"What does he think I'm gonna do? Beat you unconscious? Honestly." Roxas scoffed at that.

"Yeah, I heard that you mutilated a cop while you were in the holding cell. Cloud said that he had to go to therapy afterwards." Axel laughed, a bit manically.

"Really? I suppose I'd be freaked out if someone like me attacked my face, claws and all." Roxas gave him a look.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Axel only offered a feral grin. "Hey, do you want some popcorn? It seems... lonely without it." Axel chuckled but nodded. Roxas paused the movie and stood, making his way to the kitchen. He watched, feigning disinterest, until the blonde disappeared. He raised an eyebrow, despite the fact that no one was there to see him do it. Reaching over to where Roxas had been sitting, he closed his hands around the object of his interest. His fingers were met with the familiar feeling of his cheap cellphone cover.

Roxas, in all of his rush to make popcorn, had apparently not noticed that it had fallen out of his pocket.

Axel grinned, feeling rather lucky. He flipped it open and started scrolling through his address book, quickly coming to the D's. He hit call once he found Demyx, and put the phone up to his ear. He listened to the staticy rings as he waited for the dirty-blonde to pick up.

"CRAP! You've got to be kidding me!" Axel jumped, and looked back towards the kitchen.

"Roxas? Are you alright?" The blonde's voice carried, quieter this time, from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I burned the popcorn. I always do this! Ugh. Hold on, I'll make another bag." Axel chuckled, then jumped when a voice spoke to him, sounding closer than Roxas had.

"Axel? Hello?" Axel sighed in relief.

"Holy shit, Dem. You scared the piss out of me!" He could practically hear the pout on Demyx's face.

"You're the one that called me. What happened earlier?" Axel chuckled.

"I'm living with this kid now, and he's against me doing dust. Whatever. ...The hell are you doing?" Demyx made a throaty whine sound into the phone.

"Zexy, stop! Ugh, really? Come on, It's getting late! I'm tired!" Axel had to force himself to muffle the laughter that was desperately trying to escape his mouth.

"Still going at it?" Demyx offered only a groan.

"He doesn't look like the type to have such a hyperactive libido, but holy shit! I mean, I like a nice fucking just as much as the next fag, but damn my ass hurts." Axel couldn't suppress the strangled laugh that came out, but Luckily for him, Roxas didn't seem to notice.

"Right, well, I gotta make this quick." Demyx grunted in understanding.

"Yeah, so how much?" Again, Axel pondered, trying to think back to what he had decided on earlier. His mind seemed intent on revisiting everything that had happened that day though, and he never made it. He got stuck on Roxas' angry face, his cerulean eyes livid with a fire that Axel hadn't expected to experience from the little blonde. "Axel? You still there?" Axel jumped, Demyx surprising him once again.

"Um, yeah. You know what... I changed my mind Dem. Sorry. Good luck with Zexion..." And he hung up, not quite sure why. "What the hell?" That was his last chance, so why had he hung up? He stared at his phone, as if questioning it about his actions.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt arms around his neck.

"THE FUCK? Oh, Roxas... The hell are you doing?" He felt a little nose rub against his neck.

"I'm proud of you." Axel craned his neck in an attempt to look at the blonde.

"Proud of..." And then realization dawned on him. "YOU PLANNED THAT!" Roxas offered him a mock-innocent look.

"No I didn't?" Axel stood, or rather, tried to stand, but failed due to the arms still around his neck. He toppled back onto the couch.

"Let me go you little son-of-a... When I get my hands on that little neck of yours..."

"Yeah, I think I'll keep hanging on... My life seems to depend on it..."

"I swear to fucking god!" Defeated, Axel slumped down into the couch, settling on just crossing his arms in agitation. Roxas kept his hold for a bit longer, before gently relaxing his death-grip, and testing out the mannerisms of the redhead.

"Axel? Don't be mad... I just wanted to see what you would do. And you did the right thing, so... I'm sorry?" The man on the receiving end of the apology glared at the tv, then sighed.

"Whatever. I guess I'm not really angry... I just... Damn. You're not as dumb as you look." Roxas scoffed.

"I look dumb?" Axel smirked, turning to look at him.

"Yeah, you do, Blondie." Roxas growled, but it quickly became a yelp as Axel jumped over the back of the couch and tackled him.

"Wha! Axel!" Said redhead had the smaller boy pinned below him, and was grinning evilly.

"You cost me my dust hook-up twice today. I think that warrants a punishment, don't you?" Roxas looked up at him, torn between fear and mock-agitation.

"Um... Technically I didn't do anything the second time... So..." Axel scowled, not responding, choosing to rub his fist harshly against the sides of Roxas' scalp. "OW! Stop it! Owowowowow! Axel!"

"No, I don't think I will, you little..."

"What the HELL are you two doing?" Both boys looked up, surprise evident on their faces. A rather tired and disgruntled Cloud stared back at them. Axel strained his mind, trying to string together a believable story, but failing in his panic.

"Um... Hi Cloud... You're um... Dreaming? Yeah... And... you should go back to your room, cause there's a um... Unicorn... eating... Bologna? Yeah, Bologna... And um... Abe Lincoln is... Riding a... Chocobo... Which is named... Fang... And... He needs your help to... Make a... Grilled cheese? Yeah."

Cloud blinked at him dumbly.

"Axel! Really? He isn't that..."

"Alright... Call Abe and tell him I'm coming." Two sets of eyes flew to the mess of spikes that had spoken.

"Um... Okay..." And he turned around, and shuffled back upstairs, leaving both boys wide-eyed, still on the floor.

"He... He bought it..." Roxas jumped when he heard the hysterical laughter coming from the redhead, still perched on top of him.

"HOLY...SHIT!... HE...BOUGHT IT!" He gasped out between fits of laughter.

"Shhh! You're going to get him back down here!" Axel rolled off, covering his mouth with his hands in an attempt to keep quiet.

"Kya..ha..nya...haha." Roxas sat up and rolled his eyes.

"I swear... He actually believed... Whatever, let's finish the movie." Axel nodded, still trying to quiet his laughter.

A/N: Alright guys, apology time. I suck, I know. It's late, and it's short, but at least it's here? (Gets shot) Well, anyway, yeah, chapter four! WOOT! Um... Not much to say... I have writers block, I'm sick as hell, and I'm terrified to get out of my chair, cause the last time I did, I had a mini-passout and slammed into the window, then fell to the floor and stared at nothing for a bit... So yeah, fun day... The doctor said that there isn't really anything wrong with me... I'd like to hear him say that now... Fucking intern... (Excuse my language...) Anywho, I had like, half of this typed up, and I felt bad, cause I obviously haven't updated in a long time. So I worked on it today, while I was home sick. So yeah, anything that doesn't make sense, blame on the sickness which is fucking with my mind. I don't own the characters... Please don't sue my sick ass... Love you all, and I'm a total Review Whore, so please feed my lust!


	5. Chapter 5

In Cloud's defense, he woke up the next day and asked about the commotion he had heard, claiming he remembered something about grilled cheese and chocobos. Roxas offered a mock innocent grin, assuring his elder brother that he had simply been dreaming. Though the disbelief was apparent on the taller blonde's face, he let the topic go, and set to work cooking breakfast.

Axel, to his great displeasure, was fully awake to experience all of the activity. It wasn't the activity that he disliked, it was the 'awake' part. It was eight in the morning, on a Saturday. Why, he asked himself, was ANYONE up at this hour? His sleep fogged mind attempted to piece together something, ANYTHING feasible, and failed miserably. There WAS no reason to get up this early, unless wanting to breath in the cool morning air counted, and Roxas ruined that by burning the toast and saturating the air with smoke. This ended up discounting Axel's second guess, which was the quiet of the early morning. The fire alarm made quick work of that.

"ROXAS! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT THE TOASTER? YOU DO THIS EVERYTIME!" Cloud's angry shout could be heard, even over the screeching fire alarm.

And then there was Axel, sitting at the table, absolutely miserable, trying to comprehend all of the confusion that eight o'clock seemed to hold for the Strife household.

"Oh, hush! At least I don't put it in the microwave anymore!" Came Roxas' retort.

"At least you didn't set off the fire alarm EVERYDAY when you put it in the microwave!" Cloud shot right back. Axel moaned. There was NO way he could do this everyday. Jail would DEFINITELY be better. He stood, following the escalating wailing of the fire alarm until he found where it was located. He reached up and pushed the button to silence it, then entered the kitchen.

"THAT WAS ONE TIME! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT YOU CAN'T MICROWAVE A TURKEY!" Now Roxas was shouting. Axel was a bit scared to enter the room, but believed that his goal, if achieved, would ultimately be worth it. Passing a miffed-looking Roxas, he opened a cabinet and reached for a glass. Finding one, he pulled it out and set it on the counter. He opened the ominous black fridge, and removed the orange juice. He poured the bright orange liquid into the waiting glass, then returned it to it's spot in the refrigerator. Picking it up and putting the lip of the glass to his mouth, he took a huge gulp, nearly downing half the cup.

And that was all he needed. Axel was completely ready to face the day. The magic of orange juice. He looked up, looking from one blonde to the next, wondering what he had missed and whose turn it was to retort. They, however, were no longer shouting at each other, and were staring intently at him instead. He looked down at his shirt, wondering if he had spilled something on himself. Finding no evidence of anything that would warrant this much attention, he looked up at the other two again.

"Um... Did I do something wrong? Was I not supposed to turn the alarm off or something?" He looked at them both, neither offering anything more than the other. Finally, Cloud decided to add his two cents.

"You... You just drank his orange juice." Axel looked down at the cup in his hand, then at Roxas.

"Um, he said he'd share..." He offered pathetically. Cloud also directed his attention to the smaller blonde in question.

"You did?" He questioned the younger. Roxas nodded, slowly.

"Yeah... I did... But... It seemed less painful in theory." Roxas still looked stunned, leading Axel to roll his eyes. How dramatic.

"Okay, let's stop being such Prima Donna's, okay? It's orange juice, not Jesus' piss." Roxas let out a squeak, and Cloud emitted what could be called a growl.

"A-Axel! Language!"

"Huh, oh, shit, sorry! I didn't ask what your religion is... Um... Sorry if I offended..." Roxas sighed.

"I didn't mean the Jesus part..." Axel had to think that one thorough.

"Um... You can't seriously mean to tell me that you think piss counts as a profanity." He nearly whined this, hoping that his statement was confirmed.

"Yes, Axel, we do. A low ranking one, yes, but still a profanity." He turned to the older blonde, scowling in displeasure.

"Well fuck. I'm screwed. This really isn't going to work out if THAT counts as a profanity. Oh, shit, I just... Fu... Da... GAH!" He threw his arms up in defeat, then dramatically picked his cup up and went back to the table, stomping loudly for effect. He heard a familiar giggle, signaling that Roxas had found his act humorous. Cloud, on the other hand, did not seem amused, but chose to forgive and forget. Roxas followed him out of the kitchen, taking a seat next to him at the table.  
"So... I want that orange juice back..." Axel nearly spat out what he had in his mouth.

"E...Excuse me?" He sputtered a bit as he spoke to the staring blonde.

"I want it back. I decided I'm not going to share anymore." Axel's eyebrow rose.

"Is that right, blondie? Well, that wasn't part of the deal. See, I hung up on my dealer yesterday, which means I'm clean. So I demand orange juice in return. That is all." He stated matter of factually to the younger.

"But... It's mine..."

"And I've already digested it, so if you want it back, you're going to be getting some of last night's pizza too, as well as some stale Cheetos from the holding cell." He downed the rest of the juice and sat the glass on the table. The blonde scrunched his nose in disgust.

"Never mind! You can keep it." He spat, crossing his arms over his chest in a pout.

"Why, how gracious of you!" Axel gushed with false sincerity.

"Mhm, be grateful."

"ROXAS! YOU LEFT THE TOAST IN THE FREAKING TOASTER!"

-.-.-.+.-.-.-

Needless to say, breakfast had been a... Burnt... experience on Axel's part. Obviously not a morning person, he was quite put off by the repulsive meal placed in front of him. He nearly commented on the cooking skills of the Strife family, but thought better of it. Experience, not only with these two blondes, but also the holding cell, had told him not to be picky. So he ate, cringing internally at the crunch and taste of the thoroughly roasted meal.

Once finished, he had been forced to assist the younger of the blondes in the cleaning of the dishes. Both boys had protested, but were sent off regardless.

("You burned the food, you clean it off."

"What about me? I didn't burn it!"

"Yeah, but he's in charge of you."(Axel attempted to protest here, but was glared at, and consented.))

And that was where he was found now, attempting to scrape the blackness of off pure white plates.

"The hell does he mean 'you're in charge of me'?" He asked quietly, not looking up from the sink where his hands were busily scrubbing.

"Just that. You have to do what I say." The blonde replied quietly.

"Fuc... Screw that!" He corrected lowly. Roxas chuckled, dropping his third plate into the drying rack. "And how the hell do you do that so fast?" This earned him a small glare.

"I'm gonna ignore that one, since you managed to cover the last one. And I can do it so fast because I'm used to this. Why don't you dry them off instead?" Axel nodded, immediately dropping the still-dirty plate into the soapy water.

"Thank god. I can't do that cleaning shit."

"Axel!"

"Right, sorry." They continued on in silence until all of the breakfast dishes had been cleaned and dried. Always one to be over-dramatic, Axel threw the small dishrag he had been using to dry across the room. It hit the wall and fell pathetically to the floor.

"THAT'S FOR BEING STUPID!" He shouted, pointing at it harshly. Roxas looked on with a raised eyebrow, glancing from the rag to Axel, and shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"Mhm... Because it can help being born brainless. It's not the dishrag's fault that it's creator decided that it didn't need a brain. ...What's your excuse?" He sighed sarcastically, his amusement very obvious. Axel turned quickly, offering a face of surprise.

"Ouch... You wound me!" He then grasped at his heart, made a face of anguish, and fell to the floor with a dramatic flourish. Roxas grinned, watching the display with good humor.

"Well, that was most certainly not my intention, sir. See, in our day and age, being brainless seems the norm. Get up, fair sir!"

Axel rolled over to face the blonde, sitting up and resting his weight on his arms behind him.

"Okay, two questions. One, when the hell did you go Shakespeare on me, and two, did you just call me 'fair'?" He raised an eyebrow in inquisition.

"Um... Well, you are really pale... And yeah, we're reading Romeo and Juliet in English right now. Sorry..." He shuffled his feet sheepishly.

"Oh, god, I remember that shit! My teach made us get up and actually do the play. And I got voted as that dumbass Romeo! God that was hell!

"AXEL!" Cloud's voice came from the living room. Axel rolled his eyes.

"Sorry Spiky." He called back.

"Well, at least you got to be a boy!" Roxas said with a hint of embarrassment. Axel returned his focus to the blonde, and raised his eyebrow again.

"What do you mean?" He inquired. The blonde blushed.

"We're doing the same thing, voting for the parts and everything. My teacher has a horrible sense of humor, and let the girls vote me Juliet." His words began to get quieter as he spoke them. It took several seconds for the confession to register in Axel's mind. When it did, laughter erupted from his mouth, and he laid out flat on the floor clutching his stomach.

"You? YOU're Juliet? Oh god, that's priceless! Come on! Do a monologue for me!" He blurted out loudly, then looked at the blonde expectantly.

"NO! Absolutely not!" He snapped, then crossed his arms and turned away, his nose in the air. Axel stood, grinning, and drew closer.

"See how she has her cheek upon her hand. I want to be a glove upon that hand, So I can touch that cheek (1)" He droned, trying to remember the play correctly. It had only been a few months since he had done it.

"That was a train wreck, and I'm not going to do it!" He spat, eyeing the redhead suspiciously.

"Oh? And what if I tickle you?" He threatened. Blue eyes widened.

"You wouldn't..." Roxas seemed unsure of the statement. Axel's grin became nearly feral.

"Oh, but I would." That said, he reached out and began to tickle the blonde's sides. This caused said blonde to fall straight to the ground, flailing wildly and giggling like a maniac. Axel was a bit taken aback by the display.

"Um... I barely touched you..." He said slowly.

"D-Don't touch me! I-I'll Ki-kick you!" The blonde threatened, trying not to stutter. Axel looked down at the pathetic heap that used to be Roxas, and quickly made his decision. He dove to the floor, straddling the blonde so that his legs were rendered useless, and continued his attack. The blonde squealed in protest, flailing to no avail. "N-no! Please! I'm s-so tickle-AHH!" He gasped out between laughs and peals of giggles. Axel would not relent. Finally, Roxas gave in.

"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo(2)!" Axel halted, giving Roxas a chance to breath. He did so, then, with much mock-anger on his face, continued.

"Deny thy father and refuse thy name.

Of if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love

And I'll no longer be a Capulet.

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy:

Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.

What's a Montague? It is nor hand nor foot

Nor arm nor face nor any other part

Belonging to a man. O be some other name.

What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other word would smell as sweet;

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

And for thy name, which is no part of thee,

Take all myself. (2)" He finished solemnly, proud to have remembered the entire thing.

"I will, little Juliet. That includes your orange juice." Axel replied, grinning. Roxas' eyes widened.

"Wait, what does my orange juice have to do with this?" He demanded sharply.

"Why, everything, Roxy. Nice job by the way. How did you remember all of that?" He changed the subject smoothly, hoping that it would be forgotten.

"We had to do monologues in Drama class, and I did that." He stated blandly, looking up at Axel with eyes that said he had not missed the topic change. Axel scoffed.

"You did that as your monologue? Wait, you're in Drama?" Roxas' face reddened a bit.

"Shut up! We didn't get to choose! We drew them out of a hat! And yes, I am in Drama! Is that a problem?" Axel let his eyebrow raise once again.

"No, that isn't a problem. Just a bit nerdy..." He offered, the end coming out quietly.

"I heard that!"

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?"

Both boys glanced up, finding a very surprised looking Cloud looking back at them. It took them both a moment to look at each other, realise their position, and scramble to get off of one another. That scramble, in turn, caused them both to fall, Axel on top of Roxas once again. They somehow succeeded the second time, both standing up and facing the still surprised blonde.

"U-Um, Cloud, it really isn't what it looked like! We um... He wanted me to be Juliet, and I didn't want to, so he tickled me, and you know how I am, so I fell, and he attacked me, and then I laughed, and flailed, and then I started..."

"Just stop." The elder blonde snapped, causing the younger to shut his mouth quickly. Cloud looked from one boy to the next, then sighed. "Look, you guys can test your sexuality all you want, just don't do it on my kitchen floor, yeah?"

Axel's eyes widened, and he couldn't stifle the gasp.

"W-We weren't... I wouldn't... he... I..." He stammered, trying to right the situation. He then saw something that he wouldn't believe had he not witnessed it himself. He even did a double take, blinking rapidly to clear his eyes of any debris. But he wasn't hallucinating. The tall blonde's lips twitched into a smile, and a small chuckle was heard.

"I'm just messing with you. Pick up the dishrag, okay? Then go get ready. We're going to go to the store, then we're going to pick up your stuff. Be ready in twenty minutes." Cloud then took his leave, going up stairs, probably to change out of his pajamas. Axel just stood, mouth agape, staring at the spot that the officer had just occupied. He was speechless. Roxas recovered rather quickly, then grinned at the redhead.

"He likes you." He said solemnly. Axel snapped his focus to the blonde, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"He does?" He asked, bending down to get the dishrag. Roxas nodded.

"Yeah, he does. He doesn't joke around a lot. He only does it around people he likes and feels comfortable around. Looks like he's accepted you." Roxas replied with a smile.

"Hmm... ACCEPT THIS!" He screamed as he threw the recently retrieved dishrag into the blonde's face. The blonde flinched as the rag hit his face, emitting a loud gasp.

"...So uncool." The blonde muttered under his breath, taking the rag to the laundry room regardless.

"Cooler than you, Blondie." Axel retorted with a smirk.

"ROXAS!" The blonde nearly screamed, turning to face Axel with a challenging scowl.

"Mhm. You know, you're name really ROCKS-ASS." He grinned coyly, pleased with his pun. The blonde's eyes widened considerably.

"Oh no... I've been discovered..." Roxas muttered quietly. Axel, confused, raised an eyebrow.

"...Discovered?" He questioned cautiously.

"Yes... You've discovered my secret identity... I never thought that my secret butt rocking would be brought to light... I'm afraid that I must kill you now." Roxas whispered in a conspiratorial tone of voice, before lunging at the unsuspecting red-head, and snapping him in the chest with the still-damp dishrag. Axel was stunned momentarily, his eyes wide, not sure what to make of the situation. When his brain finally caught up with current events, he was unable to speak through the torrent of laughter pouring from his mouth. Roxas grinned too, glad he hadn't come off as ridiculously childish.

"Butt-Rocking? Oh god! I thought you were serious at first! Holy shit!" Roxas was too busy laughing along with the redhead to scold the profanity.

"Hey! Are you guys getting ready?" Cloud shouted down the stairs, breaking up the laughing fit.

"Yeah, Just a sec Cloud! We had discuss my name!" Roxas called back. Axel grinned, and turned to exit the kitchen and head up the stairs, leaving the blonde to his devices. He went into his very-blue room, and opened the dresser. Only when he had opened it and noticed it was empty did he remember that he didn't have any clothes. Looking down, he realised that he had slept in his clothes from yesterday, though they were unrecognizable now. Surely these weren't acceptable to go out in, but what other option did he have? He shut the empty drawer, then left his room in favor of the bathroom.

"Axel!" The redhead jumped, his hand on the doorknob of the bathroom. He turned, a bit worried of what waited at the other end of Cloud's exclamation.

"Um... Yeah?" He asked, unsure of what was expected of him.

"You don't have any clothes, right? You can borrow some of mine until we pick yours up." He offered, smiling a bit, and moving to expose the inside of his room, inviting the redhead in.

"I-I can?" Still cautious, Axel moved towards the offered doorway. The blonde nodded, stepping into his room, leaving the door open. Not seeing any catch, Axel entered, and drew closer to the blonde that was currently going through his closet.

"Is a t-shirt okay?" Cloud turned to ask, holding a hanger. Axel nodded, taking the offered shirt. Looking it over, he was surprised to see that he actually liked the band depicted on the shirt. Cloud proceeded to go to his dresser and pull out a pair of jeans. "You're going to have to wear a belt with these. Your waist is tiny, so they're gonna be huge on you." He threw the jeans, as well as a belt, which Axel caught deftly.

"Thanks." He smiled, moving to exit the room.

"Yeah. Hurry up." Axel left, going back into his room and shutting the door to get dressed. He pulled the shirt on, deciding immediately that he liked the tight way it fit. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that CLOUD owned a shirt such as this, but let the thought fade as he pulled the jeans on. Cloud had been right, they were too big, but only by about three sizes. Axel was a bit surprised, since he was used to being the skinniest out of the group. Looks like there might be some possible competition... He then pondered whether or not Roxas counted. Surely not, the boy was tiny, height and width wise. Axel couldn't dream to beat that, Roxas was, therefore, disqualified. After securing the belt, Axel went back to the bathroom in order to brush his teeth..

A/N: Yes, Short, I realise. Sorry? School is eating my time up, and I haven't updated in a while. This is what I had finished, so I figured I'd put it up for everyone to read, buy some time, you know. Well, anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, pointless and fluffy as it is. Something ***MIGHT* **happen in the next one... Depends on what I decide to plan. Sorry, I know a lot of people only read for sex, but that's what one-shots are for. I like stories that take a rather realistic approach to the time span of a relationship. People don't just fall into bed immediately after meeting, unless they are Axel... Oh, wait... Hmm... Anyway, MORE STORY TO COME! On the bright side, only four more weeks until school's out! THEN I GO TO SUMMER SCHOOL! MAYBE EVEN CALIFORNIA! We shall see. Regardless, I am easily bored during the summer, so my fics tend to flourish. Look forward to it, maybe! Mk, normal disclaimers, I don't own the Kingdom Hearts boys, much to my dismay. ALSO: I don't own Romeo and Juliet!

(1) An Axelified version of what Romeo says immediately before the Juliet monologue.

(2) Juliet's monologue.

Both are from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.


End file.
